Traffic Management Plans
Traffic management plans
A traffic management plan sets out how traffic will move through, around or past your work for the duration of it. It is a drawing plus the reasoning behind it — and it is also the document a municipality reads before deciding whether to let you occupy the road.
01Traffic Management Plans
When you need one
The trigger varies by municipality, but the pattern is consistent: a plan is required when the work affects a road that matters. In Surrey, a plan must be submitted to and accepted by the City’s Traffic Management Section before a Traffic Obstruction Permit issues, where the obstruction affects an arterial or collector — or where there is a significant obstruction such as a temporary full closure on a local road. Plans must be site, segment or phase specific and include site-specific drawings. Minor obstructions on local roads generally do not require one.
02Traffic Management Plans
The standard
Plans are drawn to the BC Traffic Management Manual 2020 and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Traffic Management Manual for Work on Roadways. Municipal roads and provincial highways share this design standard even though the permit comes from different authorities.
03Traffic Management Plans
What is in the plan
- Site-specific drawings — not a generic template with your address on it
- Phasing, where the work changes shape over time
- Device placement, spacing and taper lengths for the posted speed
- Pedestrian and cyclist provision, including detours
- Transit stop impacts where routes are affected
- Access maintained for driveways, businesses and emergency services
- Hours of operation and any restricted periods
04Traffic Management Plans
Permits — who issues what
Municipal roads are permitted by the city’s traffic engineering department; provincial highways by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure under a separate process. Getting this wrong is a common and expensive mistake: a plan submitted to the wrong authority is not rejected quickly, it just sits. Municipal applications are typically processed in three to seven business days, so a plan that comes back for revision can cost a week.
| Municipality | Permit | Issuing authority |
|---|---|---|
| Surrey | Traffic Obstruction Permit | Traffic Management Section |
| Vancouver | Street Use Permit | Traffic engineering |